Gaseous fuel



fit

aented IC, i927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES R. ROSE, UF EDGEWORTH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO CARBO-HYDROGEN COMPANY 0F AMERICA, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

GASP. DUS FUEL.

Application filed Decemhv'r 3l, 19191 Serial No, 348,679.

This invention relatos to gaseous fuel aunt more particularly to tin production of gas tous' fuel to `which l ha applied the name "t .irlio lo drown" and nliich is particularly @teil 'for use in ronnvction with the cutout; and Welding' ot' iron and steel and various allora :hereof and for the heating :if ifirge platesy fir masses ot inet-al t'or the purpsio'ls ol: shaping the same, i

it is the general object of the invention to i iure a gaseous fuel which will be of high nearing value but which will require for its combustion i minimum quantity ot' oxygen, whereby r 521:, for instance. may be arr-oinplished with e, great faxing in the expense ot the oygfer. retpiircd as compared with that required tor the combustion of acetylene, with au eiiiciency at least equal to that, obtained hr the use of acetylene and other `gases reqiiii )ntf `for their combustion a large amount ot' oxygen,

As is well known, ordinary illuminating ,i has appr-ofi;iniatcly the following compo rition by volume Ier cent. Hydrogen 45 Carbon monoxide 40 Hydrocarbons ef the general formula cnam .i

Also, as is well known, natural is prin- Y"wally methane, havingr the formula CIL. iffhile either the artificial or the natural zas i be used for cutting or welding:v purpo Ehe relatively high proportion of the can constituent in either of these gases re I. l for its combustion a large proportion v oxygen, making the use of such cutting or "Welding pnrposes very expen The gas which forms the subject n this application is a fas containingr hx rn and hydrocarbons of high heating v and which is fixed under theeonditions iinding its iiifmunerrial use, bein" capa t'iompression and storage in tan s or o" iii-ders without separation under a prt of from 2000 to 2200 lbs. per square inch .In producing;r the gas, natural gas or oi is conducted through a retort or generator haring a lining'r of refractory material, surtt as the ordii'iary silica brick of commerce, the said gas ,or oil and an additional hydro Carbon Huid being subjected to such heated refractory lininf. ihere the lining is maintained at a tel'nperature of about 2200o yF. and oil or other liquid hydro iarbon is used, the resultant ras will contain under ordinary temperature and tank pressures approximately Siti/J of hydrogen, 13 to 14% ot' a gas of the CII, series, and approxim hately 3% of unsaturated hydrocarbons and other gases. By increasing the temperature ot' the refractory lining, the proportion of hydrogen will be increased and the proportion of the other ,constituents will be decreased until, at about 3000o F., the resultantAgas will contain hydrogen in approxi mately the proportion of 990i; to 2% of the other constituents. By decreasing the temperature below 2200" F., a smaller proporl tion ot' hydrogen and a larger proportion of the other ingredients will be produced A proportion of hydrogen less than 80 per cent and ot other gaseous constituents in excess of 20 per cent in the tinal gas would render the same unacceptable to the trade in most instances, because of the large amount of oxygen required for the combustion of thehydrocarbon constituents thereof. The gas such as is produced at a tenu/)erature of 22000 ii". and having substantially the proportions if hydrogen and other conL stituents set forth is particularly etiicieot for cuttingY and welding with onrein 's referred to hereinlrzftoie nil sold *iw name, N" fof ing ih ,o '-.ul the r :gaseoufi ronstitur tor-ir rature ot about iztutfixiy useful for burnin;r

in the drawing: forn'r llt it tion ist:

Figi i a longitudinal vertical sectional View through an apparatus rapable of reall/.iuggg t? i process of producing; my gaseous said section being taken through the fuel, central inrtion of the generator, one tnt tifa central @tiene sernlil'ung and enriching tanks; Fig. 2 is a view. partly in horizontal section and partly in plan, of the apparatus shown in Fig. l, the section being taken just above the pipe 8; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail, partly in vertical section and partly in elevation, of the connections for supplying fluids to the bottom of the apparatus.

Describing by reference characters the var rions parts illustrated in the drawings, 1 denotes the outer shell and 2 the refractory lining and filler of a gas generator, which generator is shown as cylindrical. This refractory lining and filler may be of any suitable well known material, such as the ordinary silica brick of commerce` and the generator is so constructed as to provide a 'front flue l and a rear flue t communicating at their upper ends b v a transverse passageway 5. Refractory material 2" is arranged in chet'ker-workl formation within the titles li and l as well as in a chamber 2i projecting from the bottom of tile flue l, said chamber being adapted to 'receive an enriching fluid in a manner to be described hereinafter.

Ity will he observed that the bottoms of the flues 3 and 4 and the chamber 25 are located a distance above the bottom of the generator body, whereby an ample thickness of refractory material Q is provided below such chambers.

6 denotes a partition, preferably of sheet` steel, extending transversely across the generator between the flue Il and the chamber 3a and the flue 4 and extending from the bottom of the generator upwardly to a distance below the top of the refractory dividing Wall 2C. of gases from the flue on one side. thereof to the flue on the opposite side thereof. 7 denotes a chamber extending upwardly from the inner or rear end of the chamber S, preferably substantially as high the paitition 6, and having in the upper portion thereof a spray pipe 8.

9 denotes an inlet connection pipe communicating with the front or charging vall of the generator l and discharging into the bottom of the flue 3. This connection is provided at its outer end with av gate valve 10 and is extended, as indicated at 9"'. to a suitable air blower (not shown)y lt denotes a nozzle through which a suitable preheating fluid (such as gas, or liquid hvdrotarboni mixed with air (if desired) may be introduced into the bottom of the flue I3. This nozzle preferably extends axially into the connection 9 and is adapted to receive gaseous and liquid fuel from the pipes 1l, 1l", respectively, each having a valve, indicated at 11C, 11d, respectively, there being an injector nozzle 11e within the pipe` 11a in operative relation to the lateral branch extending from said pipe and to which the pipes 11b and llf are connected whereby, if desired This partition preventsl seepage.

the gas which is supplied through the pipe ll may be used in cooperation with either ofthe fluids supplied through the pipes llh and llt and, in the case of oil, assist in injecting the same.

The fines 2i and -t andthe chamber 3 are provided with a checker work filling of reY fraetory material referred to hereinbel'orc and indicated at l", while the transverse passageway 5 is provided with an outlet con nection 1li having a weighted blow-olf or pressure-relief valve therein. the operating handle whereof is indicated at lt.

From the arch f t* at the bottom ofthe flue 4 there extends an outlet thi.- ii). the dis charge pipe of which projects into a vessel 1G. the lower end li of .such pipe being sealed by suitable liquid within the receptacle. Projectingupwardly from the outlety flue l5 is a pipe li having a i:rt-ssnrerelief valve therein similar to the \al\c in the pipe lil, the operating handle ot' the valve being indicated at 17".

From the top of the receptacle tti and having its inlet end above the liquid therein extends a pipe 18, which rcommunicates with the bottom of thc lscrubbing tank 1t), having a reries of transverse, perforated partitions therein with suitable porous material 21 on said partitions and a spraying nozzle 22 in the upper end thereof above the uppermost partition and the material thereon. From this scrubber a pipe 23 extends into a tank 2l which may contain a hydrocarbon liquid of a high or rich series, the pipe Ji being provided with perforations 22" beneath the top of the liquid in said tank whereby the gas discharged from the scrubber may be further enriched. From the enriching tank ".f a pipe 25 leads to a storage tank or to the point of' use. From thc front of' the generator 1. there project pipesl or connections 2li which provide means for applying pyrometers to` the chamber i or for the application of' instruments tor estimating the temperature by `observation, as by a color test.

ln operation, gas (artificial or natural) or liquid hydrocarbon (such as crude or refined oil) is introduced into the bottom of the flue 3 and chamber 3a from the pipe 11a or the pipe 1lb, respectively. In the case of gas, the gas will be introduced under the ordinary ,city orl tank pressure; in the case of oil, the fuel will bc pumped or sprayed into the, bottom of thc chamber; in either case, the hydrocarbon fuel is mixed with air; where air is used ity is preferably supplied through the pipe 5)". This mixture of hydrocarbon and an', being ignited, burns in contact with the refractory material 2 in the front and rear flues until the desired temperature is attained, as indicated by the pyrometers or sight tubes. The products of combustion resulting from this preheating operation will escape through the upper end of the pipe 17,

'All

llt)

llt)

if 1' i L .ng oproei or lifted i l, :or the purpohe of facilitating the disimrge of such gases.

After the blowing-up" or prehenting operation, the tluid which is to be broken up andotherwise changed (preferably natural gras) ywill he introduced into the bottoni of the front chamber through the pipe l'lf, said pipe being provided with the valve 11F'. l0 This tluid, coming into Contact with the preheated refrartory material. wilh in its long' :ind tortuous passage through the heated `/tone thus provided be partlyV dissociated into rarbon and hydrogen. [n order to enrirh the gras thus produced, a liquid hydrcwarbon, preferably of higher gravity iu Baume than that introduced imo il ot' the tine 2S and the eliainiar be sprayed into the chamber t oby the pipe 8. This hydrocarbon will he partly dissociated in the Chamber T. iti being; noted that, the chamber 7 is within the refractory iller and in such proximity to the (lues il and t as to be heated thereby. Sonie ot the solid Carbon which will be produced will be larried through the generator and deposited in the trap 1G. A large proportion of meh olid earbon will, however, be depouited upon i retrartory material 2 and will he. ron- ,xed Living the next blowingup or we wrinpj 1 sation, time ulitimi its heat umh l. ,-i thv i im. wow fw n il mier,

"or, ihn f' tf1 Woug'h een; i, farbou yrdinar t fieri; alles of 'v rigiiieai movement' chandler 3a and tine hd. the ii \'drorari::'

pipe wiil be grain :inte-: ab' it; d a

yiiisin th other 'f 1 fsrouggh up fr l and ,having a l'ii requiring far wtion than the it :d e through 'the 1o ite a is the fas or ud i the normale '1l after m and where crude the ifp d foei diaiirmipx the fig-e and elimini.

generator uinw the iriunee o? fw retained in ihr; .ilezlorr .ixirli refr v l ing and the haar refaffuing frein foin u bustion of the Carbon deposits? on Huw filling, a las nhit'h, when the iii:l substantially the temperature o' will contain approximately Hilf; n wrogt and 13 to MH) of a grae ot' the tfll4 serum, Ti? the remainder ronsisting: of unsaturated hydroearbona oxygen. and earbou monoxide.

The gas, thu prmluved in the, generator 1 will be eondutted through the trap 1G,

when Stored under pressure.

At the end of the ol'weration, beeauzie of' l f i rfvlrnv 9` the dissociation of t?? plied through the, no a, ron-1i]eral'le r br depoaiteff sli-on tlA with which in @Per if plied. "ihia i turni:`

tony histeria@ i t Mommy-no -Jf barrel {til'ty gnllmi'e) of forty degrees Baume gravity uit per hour through the pipe 8 and have supplied natural gas to the generator at the rate ofthirty cubic feet per minute and asa result have produced'the gaseous fuel, carbohydrogen at the rate of one hundred sixty cubic feet per minute.

While. as stated hereinbefore, the proportions ot' hydrogen and the gas produced by the decomposition of the hydrocarbon or hydrocarbons will Vary in accordance With the temperature in the generator, the best results in the cutting and Welding art have been hereto produced by limiting the proportion of the hydrogen constituent between 80% and 081357, with a corresponding limitation in the gas produced by the decomposition of the hydrocarbon or hydrocarbons of from 209' to 2C/.

An analysis of a sample of my gas taken from one of the regular cylinders indicated the following composition by volume: i

Percent Unsaturated hydrocarbons xygen 0.3 Carbon monoxide 1.7 Methane 13.7 Hydrogen 82.9 Undetermined 0.4

Another sample of gas from the same `cylinder was then chilled to minus 158 F. -As a result of this chilling .12 of a grain or Per cent. Unsaturated hydrocarbons .6 Oxygen .3 Carbon monoxide 1.7 Methane 13.4 Hydrogen 82. 9 Undermined 1. 1

The sample of gas was then passed into liquid air after haviing been chilled to minus 730 C. At the temperature of liquid air, approximately minus 18do C., there was a further separation of liquid. lpon analysis, this liquid proved to be similar in composition to the unliquetied with the exception that the percentage of higher hydrocarbons was increased and hydrogen was not liquefied; ll//; ot material reported in the earlier analysis as methane consisted of higher hydrocarbons, chiefly propane and butanc. y

lVhile the proportion of carbon monoxide and oxygen in the final gas is small, nevertlieless the presence of these gases is extremely desirable in the ultimate gas. The carbon monoxide imparts visibility to the inner eone of the blow-pipe flame, enablingr the llame to be quickly and etl'ectirely applied to the article to be eut or welded. The oxygen constituent is diti'uscd throughout the gaseous mixture and therefore not only redines the amount of oxygen necessary for thc-combustion of the other' constituents but operates with maximum efiiciency in assisting in the combustion thereof.

This application is in some yrespects a continuation in part of my application No. 185,978 tiled August 13, 1917, as well as of my Patent No. 1,254,360.

Having thus described my invention, what y I claim is 1. A combustible welding and cutting gas especially useful with oxygen in metal cut.- ting, welding and the like, consisting essentially of :from 80% to 08% of hydrogen and from 20% to 2% of other gases, such other gases consisting principally of methane and including a small proportion of propane and butane. l 2. A combustible welding and cutting gas especially useful with oxygen in metal cutting, welding and the like, consisting essentially of from 80% to 98% of hydrogen and from 20% to 2% of other gases, such other gases consisting principally of methane and including a small proportion of propane, butane, carbon monoxide and oxygen.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto atlix my signature.

JAMES R. ROSE. 

